Hydroformed Cylindrical Piles

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/655,784, filed Jun. 4, 2024, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

This disclosure relates generally to solar power generation systems, and more particularly, to support structures for solar arrays within a solar tracking system.

One of the most significant, costly, and time-consuming aspects relating to the manufacture and installation of solar trackers is the use of piers to support the solar modules. These piers, typically C-channels, W-beams, I-beams, or the like, are driven deep into the ground using costly heavy machinery such as pile driving equipment or by casting the piers in-situ using costly micro-pile equipment. As can be appreciated, each process not only requires costly equipment, but also requires a significant amount of time to complete, driving up the cost of installing solar tracking systems.

Additionally, solar tracker systems employ a significant amount of bearing housing assemblies, piers, damper assemblies, amongst others. As can be appreciated, the enormous number of these assemblies required to construct a solar tracking system requires a significant amount of material and takes a significant amount of time to install, further driving up the cost of installing solar tracking systems.

In view of these costly processes and designs, solar tracker piers and foundations that alleviate the need for costly and time-consuming processes involving heavy machinery and reduce the amount of material and labor required for installation are needed.

In general, the present disclosure relates to support structures for solar arrays within a solar tracking system. In a first example, a ground pile for a solar tracking system, may include an elongate hollow tube extending longitudinally from a first end to a second end, the elongate hollow tube having a longitudinal axis, and one or more pair of support blades formed along the elongate hollow tube, the one or more pair of support blades extending away from the longitudinal axis of the elongate hollow tube. The one or more pair of support blades may be formed by a hydroforming process.

Additionally or alternatively, the one or more pair of support blades may include a first spade blade formed on a first side of the elongate hollow tube and extending away from the longitudinal axis of the elongate hollow tube, and a second spade blade formed on a second side of the elongate hollow tube and extending away from the longitudinal axis of the elongate hollow tube at an angular position 180 degrees away from an angular position where the first spade blade extends away from the longitudinal axis of the elongate hollow tube.

Additionally or alternatively, a third spade blade may be formed on the first side of the elongate hollow tube, spaced apart along the longitudinal axis of the elongate hollow tube from the first spade blade, and extending away from the longitudinal axis of the elongate hollow tube, and a fourth spade blade formed on the second side of the elongate hollow tube, spaced apart along the longitudinal axis of the elongate hollow tube from the second spade blade, and extending away from the longitudinal axis of the elongate hollow tube at an angular position 180 degrees away from an angular position where the third spade blade extends away from the longitudinal axis of the elongate hollow tube.

Additionally or alternatively, a third spade blade and a fourth spade blade spaced apart from the first spade blade and the second spade blade along the longitudinal axis of the elongate hollow tube, wherein an angular position of the of the third spade blade and the fourth spade blade differ from an angular position of the first spade blade and the second spade blade.

Additionally or alternatively, the one or more pair of support blades includes a helical blade formed adjacent to the second end of the elongate hollow tube.

Additionally or alternatively, the one or more pair of support blades includes a first helical blade formed adjacent to the second end of the elongate hollow tube and a second helical blade formed adjacent to a central region of the elongate hollow tube, wherein the first helical blade and the second helical blade are spaced apart along the longitudinal axis of the elongate hollow tube from one another.

Additionally or alternatively, the one or more pair of support blades includes a first angled blade formed adjacent to the second end of the elongate hollow tube and extending away from the longitudinal axis of the elongate hollow tube, and a second angled blade formed adjacent to the second end of the elongate hollow tube and extending away from the longitudinal axis of the elongate hollow tube in a direction opposite the first angled blade.

Additionally or alternatively, the first angled blade extends from a first end to a second end and the first end extends away from the longitudinal axis of the elongate hollow tube at an angular position of between 25 and 45 degrees around the longitudinal axis of the elongate hollow tube from an angular position where the second end extends away from the longitudinal axis of the hollow tube, and the second angled blade extends from a first end to a second end and the first end extends away from the longitudinal axis of the elongate hollow tube at an angular position of between 25 and 45 degrees around the longitudinal axis of the elongate hollow tube from an angular position where the second end extends away from the longitudinal axis of the hollow tube.

Additionally or alternatively, the first angled blade and the second angled blade have a turbine blade design.

Additionally or alternatively, the one or more pair of support blades includes a first paddle blade formed adjacent to the second end of the elongate tube and extending away from the longitudinal axis of the elongate hollow tube, and a second paddle blade formed adjacent to the second end of the elongate hollow tube and extending away from the longitudinal axis of the elongate hollow tube at an angular position 180 degrees away from an angular position where the first paddle blade extends away from the longitudinal axis of the elongate hollow tube.

Additionally or alternatively, the one or more support blades each have a hollow cross-section.

Additionally or alternatively, the one or more pair of support blades includes a helical ridged section formed adjacent to the second end of the elongate hollow tube, the helical ridged section having a first outer diameter, a second outer diameter, and a third outer diameter, wherein the second outer diameter differs from the first outer diameter and the third outer diameter.

Additionally or alternatively, the one or more pair of support blades includes a vertical ridged section formed adjacent to the second end of the elongate hollow tube, the vertical ridged section extending longitudinally along the longitudinal axis of the elongate hollow tube and around a circumference of the elongate hollow tube.

In another example, a ground pile for a solar tracking system may include an elongate hollow tube extending longitudinally from a first end to a second end, the elongate hollow tube having a longitudinal axis, a first paddle blade formed adjacent to the second end of the elongate tube and extending away from the longitudinal axis of the elongate hollow tube, and a second paddle blade formed adjacent to the second end of the elongate hollow tube and extending away from the longitudinal axis of the elongate hollow tube at an angular position 180 degrees away from an angular position where the first paddle blade extends away from the longitudinal axis of the elongate hollow tube. The first paddle blade and the second paddle blade may be formed by a hydroforming process, and the first paddle blade and the second paddle blade may each have a hollow cross-section.

The details of one or more examples are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, objects, and advantages will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims.

The present disclosure is directed to ground piles for a solar tracking system.is an elevation view of a common arrangement of a solar trackerprovided in accordance with the present disclosure. The solar trackermay be formed of a plurality of baysdefined by the distance between ground piles(generally referenced herein as piles).illustrates two baysof the solar tracker. However, it will be appreciated that the solar trackermay include four bays, six bays, ten bays, twenty bays, or any other suitable number of bays as desired. At each pileis either a bearingor generally near the center of the solar trackera drive mechanism. Each of the bearingsand the drive mechanismare supported by one of the piles. Activation of the drive mechanism rotates a torque tubeabout an axis of rotation and thus rotates one or more solar modulesmounted to the torque tubesuch that the solar modulescan be oriented to a desired position. That desired position may be to a position to capture maximum sunlight based on the location of the sun in the sky, that position may be to a 0-angle position during times of diffuse light, the desired position may be a safety position based on weather conditions such as high winds or a snow storm, or any position in between as desired by the operators of the solar power plant in which the solar trackeris located given the current weather and atmospheric conditions, the current demands of the grid, and other factors. The bearingsreduce to the extent possible the resistance to movement of the torque tubeand the solar modules.

The torque tubeis sized (e.g., diameter, wall thickness, material) such that sag between the pilesis reduced or substantially eliminated and to absorb torsional loads applied to the torque tubeby wind loading. In addition, since there is often just a single drive mechanism, the specifications for the torque tubemay desire to eliminate twist of the torque tubealong its length. Twisting of the torque tubewould result in the solar modulesbeing oriented differently from what is desired, and thus again reduce the output and efficiency of the solar tracker, particularly, as the solar trackeris rotated to the extreme angles of permitted range (e.g., +/−60 degrees or more).

is a front side view of an example ground pilein accordance with the present disclosure, andis a perspective view of the ground pile. The pilemay be an example of pileas in. As shown in, the pilemay include an elongate hollow tubeextending longitudinally from a first endto a second endand having a longitudinal axis L. In some cases, the first endof the hollow tubemay be open and the second endof the hollow tubemay be open. In other cases, the first endof the hollow tubemay be closed, and the second endof the hollow tube may be closed. In some cases, one of the first endor the second endmay be open and the other of the first endor the second endmay be closed. In some cases, although not explicitly shown, a mount may be positioned proximate the first end, and the mount may include a series of one or more mounting holes that extend through the hollow tube.

As shown in, the pilemay include one or more pair of support bladeson the hollow tube. For example, the one or more pair of support bladesmay include a first spade bladeformed on a first sideof the hollow tube, and a second spade bladeformed on a second sideof the hollow tube. The first spade blademay extend away from the longitudinal axis L of the hollow tubein a first direction, and the second spade blademay extend away from the longitudinal axis L of the hollow tubein a second direction opposite the first direction. The second spade blademay extend away from the longitudinal axis L of the hollow tubeat an angular position 180 degrees around the longitudinal axis L from the angular position where the first spade bladeextends away from the longitudinal axis L of the hollow tube. The support bladesof the hollow tubemay be located along the longitudinal axis L of the hollow tubecloser to the second end. In some cases, the support bladesmay be located adjacent or closer to the first portion, a central portion, or any other suitable portion along the longitudinal axis L of the hollow tube.

The pilemay be formed from aluminum, brass, carbon, stainless steel, copper, or other metal alloys. To the extent the pileis formed via a hydroforming process, as described herein, the pilemay be formed of a material and a thickness appropriate for forming the particular components (e.g., support blades) described herein. For example, the first spade bladeand the second spade blademay be formed by a hydroforming process of the hollow tube. In such cases, the hollow tubemay be fed into and held by the die. Pressurized fluid may then be applied to the inside of the hollow tubeto expand the hollow tubeto fill the die, thereby creating the one or more support blades, such as for example, the first spade bladeand the second spade blade. Further, by using the hydroforming process, the one or more support bladesmay include one or more types of blades. For example, as shown in, the one or more support bladesay include the first spade bladeand the second spade blade. Other types of blades, such as helical blades, angled blades, helical ridges, vertical ridges, and paddle blades will be discussed further herein. These are just examples. While it is shown inthat there is one pair of support blades, it may be contemplated that there may be two pair, three pair, four pair, six pair, or any number of pairs of support blades as desired.

Forming the pilealong with the support bladesvia the hydroforming process allows for the design to have multiple thickness in different areas as needed. Moreover, any desired holes (e.g., mounting holes) and/or slots needed within the pilemay be added directly during the hydroforming process rather than as a post-processing step. Further, formation of the hydroformed pilevia the hydroforming process, as discussed herein, may streamline the process of adding retention features (e.g., support blades) to the pileduring the manufacturing process. The pileincluding the support bladesmay be advantageous in diverse soil conditions (e.g., sandy soil, clay soil, silt soil, peat soil, loam soil, among others) by providing reliable support for solar trackersin rural and/or urban environments.

The hollow tubemay include a circular cross-section, and the first endof the hollow tubeand the second endof the hollow tubeinclude the same or a similar outer diameter, as shown in. Although this may not always be the case. In some cases, the first endmay have an outer diameter that is different than an outer diameter of the second end(e.g., smaller than or larger than). In some cases, the hollow tubemay include a hexagonal cross-section, a square cross-section, a rectangular cross-section, a triangular cross-section, a W-cross-section, a polygonal cross-section, or the like. In some cases, a cross-section of the support bladesmay be non-circular in shape as the support bladesextend in an outward direction from the longitudinal axis L of the hollow tube, as shown in further detail with respect to. Although this may not always be the case. In some cases, the cross-section of the support bladesmay include a circular cross-section. In other cases, the cross-section of the support bladesmay include an oval cross-section, a polygonal cross-section, or any other suitable cross-section as desired.

is a front side view of an example ground pilein accordance with the present disclosure, andis a perspective view of the ground pile. The pileis like the pileshown in, except for the design of the support blades. As shown in, the hollow tubemay include a first pair of support bladesand a second pair of support blades. The first pair of support bladesmay include a first spade bladeand a second spade blade, and the second pair of support bladesmay include a third spade bladeand a fourth spade blade. As can be seen in, the second pair of support bladesmay be spaced apart from the first pair of support bladesalong the longitudinal axis L of the hollow tube. Adding the second pair of support bladesto the hollow tubemay provide additional lateral support along the longitudinal length of the pile, further reducing potential deflection of the pileduring excess loads due to wind, etc.

is a front side view of an example ground pilein accordance with the present disclosure, andis a perspective view of the ground pile. The pileis like the pileshown in, except for the design of the support blades. As shown in, the hollow tubemay include a first pair of support bladesand a second pair of support blades. The first pair of support bladesmay include a first spade bladeand a second spade blade, and the second pair of support bladesmay include a third spade bladeand a fourth spade blade. As can be seen in, the second pair of support bladesmay be spaced apart from the first pair of support bladesalong the longitudinal axis L of the hollow tube.

The angular position of the second pair of support bladesaround the longitudinal axis L of the hollow tubemay be at a different angular position of the first pair of support blades. As shown in, the angular position of the second pair of support bladesaround the longitudinal axis L of the hollow tubemay differ from the angular position of the first pair of support bladesby 90 degrees. Such differing angular positions may provide the pilewith high lateral stability and resistance to dynamic loads.

is a front side view of an example ground pilein accordance with the present disclosure, andis a perspective view of the ground pile. The pileis like the pileshown in, except for the design of the support blades. As shown in, the design of the support bladesmay include a helical support blade. The helical support blademay be formed via the hydroforming process adjacent a second endof the hollow tube. The helical support blademay be configured to be screwed or threaded into the ground to anchor the solar tracker. The helical support blademay extend a single or multiple revolutions around the longitudinal axis L. The helical support blademay also extend complete or partial revolutions around the longitudinal axis L.

Further, in this embodiment, the hollow tubemay include a series of one or more mounting holes. While only one mounting holeis visible in, it may be contemplated that the pilemay include four mounting holes, six mounting holes, twelve mounting holes, twenty mounting holes, or any suitable number of mounting holes as desired. The mounting holesmay be used to attach solar tracking components such as for example, the bearingsand the drive mechanism, as shown in. In some cases, the mounting holesmay be configured to mount an adapter which may be used to drive the pileinto the ground.

is a front side view of an example ground pilein accordance with the present disclosure, andis a perspective view of the ground pile. The pileis like the pileshown in, except for the design of the support blades. As shown in, the design of the support bladesmay include a first helical support bladeand a second helical support blade. The first helical support bladeand the second helical support blademay be formed via the hydroforming process adjacent a second endof the hollow tubeand a central regionof the hollow tube, respectively. The helical support blades,may be configured to be screwed or threaded into the ground to anchor the solar tracker. The addition of the second hydroformed helical support bladeprovides additional vertical load-bearing capacity.

Further, in this embodiment, the hollow tubemay include a series of one or more mounting holes. While only one mounting holeis visible in, it may be contemplated that the pilemay include four mounting holes, six mounting holes, twelve mounting holes, twenty mounting holes, or any suitable number of mounting holes as desired. The mounting holesmay be used to attach solar tracking components such as for example, the bearingsand the drive mechanism, as shown in. In some cases, the mounting holesmay be configured to mount an adapter which may be used to drive the pileinto the ground.

is a front side view of an example ground pilein accordance with the present disclosure, andis a perspective view of the ground pile. The pileis like the pileshown in, except for the design of the support blades. As shown in, the design of the support bladesmay include a first angled bladeand a second angled blade, each having a turbine blade design. The first angled blademay include a first endformed on the hollow tubeand a second endformed on the hollow tube. The first endmay extend away from the longitudinal axis L of the hollow tubeat an angular position of between 20 to 45 degrees around the longitudinal axis L from the angular position where the second endextends away from the longitudinal axis L of the hollow tube. The first angled blademay gradually transition in angular position as it extends from the first endto the second end

The second angled blademay include a first endformed on the hollow tubeand a second endformed on the hollow tubesuch the second angled blade. may be positioned at an angle of about 25° to about 45° in a direction opposite the first angled blade. The support bladesmay provide high lateral stability and resistance to dynamic loads and may be well-suited for solar tracker installations in regions prone to wind gusts and seismic activity. The first endmay extend away from the longitudinal axis L of the hollow tubeat an angular position of between 20 to 45 degrees around the longitudinal axis L from the angular position where the second endextends away from the longitudinal axis L of the hollow tube. The second angled blademay gradually transition in angular position as it extends from the first endto the second end. As the angular position changes along the longitudinal axis L, the angular position of the second angled bladeat any location along the longitudinal axis L may be remain offset by 180 degrees from the angular position of the first angled bladeat the same location along the longitudinal axis. Such angular positioning creates the turbine blade design in.

is a front side view of an example ground pilein accordance with the present disclosure,is a cross-sectional view of support blades, taken at line B-B of, andis a perspective view of the ground pile. The pileis like the pileshown in, except for the design of the support blades. As shown in, the design of the support bladesmay include a first paddle bladeand a second paddle blade. Further, as shown in, an internal surfaceof the cross-section of the support bladesmay be non-circular in shape as the support bladesextend in an outward direction from the longitudinal axis of the hollow tube. Although this may not always be the case. In some cases, the cross-section of the support bladesmay include a circular cross-section. In other cases, the cross-section of the support bladesmay include an oval cross-section, a polygonal cross-section, or any other suitable cross-section as desired.

is a front side view of an example ground pilein accordance with the present disclosure, andis an enlarged view of a support bladeof the ground pile. The pileis like the pileshown in, except for the design of the support blades. As shown in, the design of the support blademay include a helical ridged section. The helical ridged sectionmay be formed via the hydroforming process adjacent a second endof the hollow tube. The helical ridged section(e.g., support blade) may be configured to be screwed or threaded into the ground to anchor the solar trackervia rotational force. The helical ridged sectionmay extend a single or multiple revolutions around the longitudinal axis L. The helical ridged sectionmay also extend complete or partial revolutions around the longitudinal axis L.

The helical ridged sectionmay have a varying outer diameter around the longitudinal axis L of the hollow tube. For example, a first portionof the helical ridged sectionmay include a first outer diameter, a central portionmay include a second outer diameter, and a second portionmay include a third outer diameter. As shown in, the second outer diameter of the central portionmay be greater than the first and the third outer diameters. In some cases, the first outer diameter may be greater than the second and the third outer diameter. In some cases, the third outer diameter may be greater than the first and the second outer diameter. In other cases, the first, second, and third outer diameters may be equal.

is a front side view of an example ground pilein accordance with the present disclosure, andis an enlarged view of a support bladeof the ground pile. The pileis like the pileshown in, except for the design of the support blades. As shown in, the design of the support bladesmay include a vertical ridged sectionformed around the circumference of the hollow tube. The vertical ridged sectionmay be formed via the hydroforming process adjacent a second endof the hollow tube. In some cases, the vertical ridged sectionmay be formed adjacent a central regionof the hollow tube.

The vertical ridged sectionmay extend longitudinally along the longitudinal axis L of the hollow tube. Having the vertical ridged sectionextend longitudinally along the longitudinal axis L of the hollow tubemay allow the pileto be easily installed using standard pile drivers and provides additional lateral support to the pile. The vertical ridged sectionmay each include a pyramidal shape, a rounded shape, a cuboidal shape, or any other shape as desired. In some cases, the vertical ridged sectionmay include two ridges, three ridges, five ridges, six ridges, ten ridges, or any other suitable number of ridges as desired.

is a front side view of an example ground pilein accordance with the present disclosure, andis an enlarged view of a support bladeof the ground pile. The pileis like the pileshown in, except for the design of the support blades. In this embodiment, the hollow tubeis formed via standard manufacturing processes while the support bladeis formed via the hydroforming process described herein. Like pile, the pilemay include an elongate hollow tubeextending longitudinally from a first endto a second endand having a longitudinal axis L. In some cases, the first endof the hollow tubemay be open and the second endof the hollow tubemay be open.

The design of the support blademay include a helical ridged section. The helical ridged sectionmay be formed via the hydroforming process. The helical ridged section(e.g., support blade) may be configured to be screwed or threaded into the ground to anchor the solar trackervia rotational force. The helical ridged sectionmay extend a single or multiple revolutions around a longitudinal axis Lof the support blade. The helical ridged sectionmay also extend complete or partial revolutions around the longitudinal axis L.

The helical ridged sectionmay have a varying outer diameter around the longitudinal axis Lof the support blade. For example, a first portionof the helical ridged sectionmay include a first outer diameter, a central portionmay include a second outer diameter, and a second portionmay include a third outer diameter. As shown in, the second outer diameter of the central portionmay be greater than the first and the third outer diameters. In some cases, the first outer diameter may be greater than the second and the third outer diameter. In some cases, the third outer diameter may be greater than the first and the second outer diameter. In other cases, the first, second, and third outer diameters may be equal.

As shown in, the second endof the hollow tubemay include a first mounting hole. While only one mounting hole is visible in, it may be contemplated that the pilemay include two mounting holes, four mounting holes, six mounting holes, twelve mounting holes, twenty mounting holes, or any suitable number of mounting holes as desired. The first mounting holemay be configured to couple the hollow tubeto the support blade. For example, in some cases, the second endof the hollow tubemay be positioned over a first endof the support blade. The first mounting holemay align with a second mounting holepositioned adjacent the first endof the support blade, and a connection element, such as a blind rivet or a bolt (or any other suitable connection element), may be inserted through the first mounting holeand the second mounting hole, thereby coupling the hollow tubeto the support blade. In some cases, the support blademay be coupled to the hollow tubevia an alternative method such as, for example, resistance welding, or any other suitable type of connection method.

While it is shown inthat the support bladeincludes the helical ridged section, it will be appreciated that the support blademay include various hydroformed shapes and sizes, such as those described herein (e.g., spade blades, paddle blades, helical blades, etc.), without departing from the scope of the disclosure.

Various non-limiting exemplary embodiments have been described. It will be appreciated that suitable alternatives are possible without departing from the scope of the examples described herein.